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Weekly report by the Palestinian Center for Human Rights in Gaza shows Israeli violations of international law and international humanitarian law in the oPt continued during the reporting period (07 – 12 June 2018). These include:

Israeli forces continued to use force against Palestinian peaceful protesters.

Four Palestinian civilians, including a child, were killed within hours in the Gaza Strip.

An Israeli Human Rights activist and Nine Palestinian civilians, including a child, were wounded in the West Bank.

Israeli warplanes launched a missile at a group of Palestinians in the northern Gaza Strip, but no casualties were reported.

Israeli forces continued to open fire at the border areas in the Gaza Strip, forcing farmers to leave their lands fearing for their lives.

Israeli forces conducted 56 incursions into Palestinian communities in the West Bank and 3 limited incursions in the Gaza Strip

40 civilians, including 3 children, were arrested in the West Bank.

9 of them, including 2 children, were arrested in Jerusalem.

Israeli forces continued their settlement activities in the West Bank

Israeli banned a Ramadan Iftar meal for journalists held by the Chamber of Commerce in the city.

Settlement activities continued in the West Bank.

Israeli forces closed an agricultural road and installed 10 containers for storing goods in the Khader village lands, south of Bethlehem.

The settlers attacked Palestinian civilians’ houses in Burin village, south of Nablus.

4 shooting incidents were reported against the fishing boats in the Gaza Sea, but no casualties were reported.

Israeli forces turned the West Bank into cantons and continued to impose the illegal closure on the Gaza Strip for the 11th consecutive year.

Dozens of temporary checkpoints were established in the West Bank and others were re-established to obstruct the movement of Palestinian civilians.

6 Palestinian civilians, including a young woman, were arrested at the military checkpoints in the West Bank.

Summary

Shooting:

Israeli forces continued to use lethal force against Palestinian civilians, who participated in peaceful demonstrations organized within the activities of the “Great March of Return and Breaking the Siege” in the Gaza Strip, which witnessed for the 11th week in a row peaceful demonstrations along the eastern and northern Gaza Strip border area. During the reporting period, in the Gaza Strip on Friday, the Israeli forces killed 4 civilians, including a child, and wounded 287 Palestinian civilians, including 43 children, 9 women, 3 journalists, and 4 paramedics; 8 of the wounded are in serious condition. In the West Bank, Israeli forces wounded an Israeli human rights defender and 9 Palestinian civilians, including a child; one of those wounded sustained serious wounds.

Haitham Mohammed Khalil al-Jamal (15) from Rafah was hit with a bullet to the abdomen when he was in eastern Rafah.

Ziyad Jadallah ‘Abdel Qader al-Brim (28) from Bani Suhaila in Khan Younis was wounded at approximately 17:30 with a bullet to the abdomen in eastern Khuza’ah and succumbed to his wounds around half an hour later from his arrival at Naser Hospital;

Yousif Salim Khalil al-Fasih (29) from Gaza City was wounded with a bullet to the pelvis in eastern Shija’iyah neighborhood; and

‘Emad Nabil ‘Ali Abu Darabi (20) from Beit Lahia was hit with a bullet to the head in eastern Jabalia.

Investigations and observations by PCHR’s fieldworkers during this week emphasize the following:

The demonstrations were entirely peaceful and witnessed significant participation of women, elderlies, and children. Moreover, the fieldworkers did not witness any armed manifestations.

On Friday dawn, 08 June 2018, Israeli warplanes fired fire bombs at the Return Camp in eastern Rafah, causing fire in a number of tents and the tires collected by the protesters supposed to be burnt in the afternoon.

Dozens of Israeli Forces’ snipers continued to position on the hills, behind the sand barriers and in military jeeps along the border fence in front of the peaceful demonstrations in the eastern Gaza Strip.

Tear gas canisters were intensively and unprecedentedly fired from the drones and by the Israeli soldiers stationed along the border fence or in the military sites. The tear gas has spared none.

Ambulances, medical staff, and field medical points were deliberately and directly targeted and prevented from approaching those wounded in addition to causing injuries among them though the ambulances are 300 meters away from the border fence.

Journalists were directly targeted, causing injuries among them.

The Israeli fire deliberately targeted the upper part of the body as dozens sustained wounds to the head and chest and many are in critical condition; thus, the number of deaths is likely to increase.

Injuries in the Gaza Strip during this Week

Governorate

Injuries

Total

Children

Women

Journalists

Paramedics

Critical Injuries

Northern Gaza Strip

96

25

3

1

2

3

Gaza City

30

3

0

0

0

0

Central Gaza Strip

21

2

0

0

0

1

Khan Younis

110

12

6

2

2

2

Rafah

30

1

0

0

0

2

Total

287

43

9

3

4

8

As part of the airstrikes, on 09 June 2018, an Israeli drone launched a missile at group of Palestinians who were in eastern al-Amal neighbourhood, northeast of Beit Hanoun in the northern Gaza Strip. However, neither casualties nor property damge was reported. The Israeli forces then issued a statement declaring that “a Palestinian cell was targeted by the Israeli drones after participating in setting fires through flying kites and fire balloons towards the settlements near the Gaza enclave.”

As part of targeting the border areas, on 09 June 2018, the Israeli forces along the border fence between the Gaza Strip and Israel, east of Gaza Valley village in the central Gaza Strip, opened fire at Palestinian agricultural lands and recurred the shooting on 10 and 11 June 2018. On 11 June 2018, the Israeli forces opened fire at the agricultural lands, east of Deir al-Balah.

As part of targeting Palestinian fishermen in the Gaza Sea, the Israeli forces continued to escalate their attacks against the Palestinian fishermen, pointing out to the ongoing Israeli policy of targeting their livelihoods. During the reporting period, PCHR documented 4 attacks against the fishermen, including 2 attacks in western Soudaniyah, west of Jabalia in the northern Gaza Strip, 1 in western Deir al-Balah in the central Gaza Strip and 1 in Rafah City in the southern Gaza Strip.

In the West Bank, Israeli forces during the reporting period wounded an Israeli human rights defender and nine civilians, including a child. One of those wounded sustained serious wounds.

On 07 June 2018, 7 Palestinian civilians, including a child, were wounded; one sustaining serious wounded. The abovementioned were wounded when the Israeli forces moved into Nablus and a number of children and youngsters gathered and threw stones and empty bottles at the military vehicles. The Israeli soldiers then fired live and rubber bullets at them, wounding the abovementioned civilians.

On 08 June 2018, an Israeli human rights activist was wounded with a rubber bullet to the back while participating in the Kafer Qaddoum weekly protests, northeast of Qalqiliya.

On 11 June 2018, two Palestinian civilians were wounded while confronting a group of Israeli settlers who attacked houses in southern Burin village, south of Nablus. (see the Israeli settlement crimes and attacks against Palestinian civilians)

Incursions:

During the reporting period, Israeli forces conducted at least 56 military incursions into Palestinian communities in the West Bank and 3 similar ones into Jerusalem and its suburbs. During those incursions, Israeli forces arrested at least 31 Palestinians, including a child, in the West Bank. Meanwhile, 9 civilians, including 2 children, were arrested in Jerusalem and its suburb.

In the Gaza Strip, on 07 June 2018, the Israeli forces conducted 3 limited incursions into the southern and central Gaza Strip. On 07 June 2018, the Israeli forces moved 70 meters into eastern ‘Abasan village, east of Khan Younis. Their vehicles started combing the area and repairing the border barbed-wire fence by installing new parts of barbed wires. The Israeli forces later redeployed along the border fence between the Gaza Strip and Israel.

On 11 June 2018, Israeli forces moved 80 meters into eastern al-Qararah, east of Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip. The Israeli forces came from eastern side of Deir al-Balah and started combing and repairing the fence heading towards the south. On the same day, the Israeli forces moved 70 meters into eastern Gaza Valley village, southeast of Gaza City and did similar works.

Israeli Settlement Activities and Settlers’ Attacks against the Palestinian Civivlians and their Property:

On 07 June 2018, the Israeli forces closed a road used by Palestinian farmers in al-Khader village, south of Bethlehem, to reach their lands. Closure of the road which leads to thousands of dunums of agricultural lands would prevent farmers from doing their agricultural works, including plowing, planting and transferring products for marketing.

On 10 June 2018, Israeli forces established metal detectors at the entrance to the lands of “Thaghret Hammad” area belonging to Ghuneim Family in al-Khader village, south of Bethlehem. Representative of Colonization and Wall Resistance Commission in Bethlehem, Hasan Breijiyah, said that the Israeli forces installed 10 containers to store goods in lands belonging to Dabash Family in the same area. Moreover, the Israeli forces affixed a notice to stop construction works in an under-construction house belonging to Majdi Marzouq ‘Issa that is almost ready for occupation and an agricultural land in al-Balou’a area in the abovementioned village under the pretext of non-licensing.

As part of the Israeli settlers’ attacks against the Palestinian civilians and their property, on 11 June 2018, a group of Israeli settlers from “Yitzhar“ settlement, established in the eastern side of Burin village, south of Nablus, and under the Israeli forces’ protection attacked houses of civilians in the southern side of the village.